Alias debuts Maya 6

Alias ( www.alias.com) showed the press the latest version of its Maya animation tool on Sunday afternoon. Maya 6 is what the company is calling a customer-driven release, incorporating many new features that came as requests from its installed base.

The new version of Maya will be available as a download on April 26th and will begin shipping in May.

The release focuses on a number of core points, including enhancements for character animation and the ability to scale to meet the needs of next-generation productions. Integration with popular tools such as Adobe Photoshop has also been added, allowing users to read and write PSD files. Rendering has been improved through Mental Ray as well.

The new release also includes considerable advancements in hair creation. Pricing for Version 6 will follow previous structures: $1,999 for Maya Complete and $6,999 for Maya Unlimited.